Top trends on LinkedIn: Afghanistan, #WorldPhotographyDay, more. Plus: How Netflix's employer branding guru manages two voices
Most of us talk about creators as a solo operator crafting ideas, generating conversations, and amplifying others’ voices. The better these creators do, the wider their fame.
But there’s another class of creators whose work doesn’t accrue to them but to their company. They’re social media managers, who have to figure out the voice of a brand and create in a way that makes people want to participate. It’s hard enough to find your own voice; try doing so for a small law firm or a multinational corporation.
When people ask me for my advice on the topic, I usually tell them to follow Amir Moini . Amir is the head of employer branding at Netflix . Whatever the creator version of an EGOT is, Amir is on his way to achieving it. Over the years, Amir has personally amassed 25,000 followers via his authentic posts and, as co-manager of Netflix’ LinkedIn page, has grown the entertainment giant to an incredible 7.4 million followers. He’s able to balance both the personal voice and the entity voice and I was curious about how he thinks about the interplay between the two.?
Here’s a short talk with Amir. Takeaway: Authenticity wins the day no matter who you’re speaking as.
What was your career path to get to Netflix??
“I spent the first five years of my career in nonprofit fundraising, which led me to Netflix because they were one of our corporate partners. I remember admiring Netflix's company culture and I knew I wanted to work there one day. After getting an interview, I started off as an entry-level recruiter, which evolved into employer branding. Five-and-a-half years later, here I am.”
What does success look like for your Netflix page?
“Our goal for Netflix’s page is to create content that resonates with people on a personal and professional level and to be authentic. Inclusion and representation are important elements to our work and we want to share stories about our amazing employees and their journeys.”
Can you provide an example of what’s worked?
“I would use our Inclusive Benefits campaign as an example. We launched it in both a blog (our first time using the new product feature ) and embedded video format [Ed note: see below] and positioned it around our employees’ personal journeys — with a call to action that encouraged other companies to take a look at their own benefits through a lens of inclusion within the copy. We posted this as an extension of our inclusion report , to show that inclusion exists in all areas of a business, even something as tactical as this. We decided to use video as the primary way of telling this story because we wanted to visually show how our benefits positively impacted our colleagues in a way that a blog or podcast wasn't able to do.
"The video itself was also the first time we experimented using CGI in one of our employer branding videos and we felt the representation of plants and flowers blooming was a metaphor for employees growing into their full selves.?
?"We saw an impact in earned media coverage , appreciation, and positive sentiment in the comments and within Netflix as well."
A few weeks ago, I talked about the idea of “creating for opportunity.” Does that translate over into page work??
“I would say our work managing a company page is meant to inform and inspire, so to some degree, yes I see that translation.”
You’re a creator yourself and a published author (22 Life Lessons By Someone More F*cked Up Than You ). How do you think about what you’re personally posting??
领英推荐
“I post what feels right to me and I say something when I feel I have something to say. I keep a pulse on what's trending and what people are talking about. It’s usually derived from a moment of inspiration, curiosity and/or a lesson learned. I don’t shy away from being myself - sometimes I even post my dance videos or things not related to work at all.”
Are you able to separate your two voices?
“I view them as separate, but I try to be authentic with both.”
What kind of advice would you give page admins when it comes to creation? Any lessons learned?
“Talk like a human, be real and lean into trying new things even if it is uncomfortable. LinkedIn is ultimately a social platform, so not everything has to be related to job opportunities. The copy and thumbnail you choose are important factors in the success of a post because those are largely influential in having a person engage with it or not.”
Here are the topics generating attention over the last 7 days. Leverage these to spot audience demand and to start identifying trends. Then write your own post about one of these subjects; share an interesting video that riffs off the topic; or add commentary to a conversation. Anything with a ?? is likely to continue to trend for another 2 weeks. Bookmark our content calendar to plan even further ahead .
?? Afghanistan : The story of the US pullout from Afghanistan is driving discussions touching on humanitarian issues, immigration, logistics, planning, and beyond. One particularly interesting set of convos: How veterans and people who manage/work with veterans are reacting to what’s unfolding.?
?? Mandatory Vaccine : Major hospital groups have started mandating vaccines for healthcare workers. Nurses have been protesting the mandate and some are choosing to leave their jobs rather than get vaccinated.
?? Mental Health : As employers struggle to retain staff, mental health — a "massive contributor" to the worker shortage — is a top concern among companies. Employees are sharing what it means to prioritize mental health in the workplace.?
?? 'You looked taller on Zoom' : Long-remote colleagues have been meeting in person for the first time and are reporting that their coworkers are, in fact, taller or shorter than they first appeared over video conferences.?
?? Aug. 19 marks “World Photography Day .” Share a picture with your followers that shows what your passion is outside of work. ?? #WorldPhotographyDay